Secondary School

Our Secondary School is the ideal time in a child’s life to take risks, as they learn more about who they are and continue to grow as a person.  Our mission for our secondary school is to continue developing literacy and math skills, highlight social and emotional learning, and continue learning about being safe and responsible online through digital citizenship classes.  Our middle school students gain a better understanding of Civic Education and how the United States government works through Justice Sandra Day O’Conner’s iCivics course.  Our middle students choose and collaborate with other distance learners on STEM projects developed using the principles of Understanding By Design.

Literacy

Newsela

Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that brings together engaging, accessible content with integrated assessments and insights to supercharge reading engagement and learning in every subject. Newsela publishes daily content to support instruction for ELA, Social Studies, Science, and even Social-Emotional Learning. It starts with dynamic, game-changing content covering topics students care about. Every article comes in 5 reading levels, tailored to the skill level of each reader. Assessments are integrated directly into articles to help students engage with the content and to give teachers and administrators actionable insights on students’ reading activity.  The result is more engaged readers—and engaged readers are better learners. (About Newsela)

Accelerated Reader

Individual reading recommendations use students’ interests and reading levels to suggest “just-right” titles—or students can self-select from over 200,000 choices!  “Just reading” transforms into high-quality reading practice that fuels growth: Reading quizzes monitor comprehension, while literacy skills and vocabulary quizzes extend student learning and build skills mastery.  (Watch: An Overview of Accelerated Reader)

Freckle

Freckle is an online learning platform that allows students to practice Math and English Language Arts at their own level. Freckle continuously adapts to each student’s individual skills, so each student is getting the appropriate challenge, whether they’re working at, above, or below grade level. (Watch: An Overview of Freckle)

Math

Khan Academy

Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace. Their math missions guide learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps.

Social & Emotional Learning

Growth Mindset Practices

In these lessons, students explore ACSD’s Habits of Mind through the lens of improving their growth mindset to answer the question “Why is how I learn as important as what I learn?” (Sample Lesson: Asking Questions)

SEL in Action

In these lessons, students will explore CASEL’s Social and Emotional Learning competencies to answer the question “How can we promote a positive, safe learning culture in our school?” (Sample Lesson: Am I Empathetic?)

SEL Moments

In these mini-lessons, students discover in-the-moment strategies to practice and apply social and emotional learning competencies, including self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. (Sample Lesson: Gratitude)

Lifelong Learning Strategies

In these lessons, students gather learning strategies, improving their study skills, organization strategies, and more to answer the question “How can I become a life-long learner?” (Sample Lesson: Balancing Obligations)

Exploring the Social Emotional World

Social-emotional skills play a crucial role in a child’s success, both socially and academically. In this lesson, students will explore self-control, social awareness, communication, trust building, and decision making. (Sample Lesson – Listening to Understand)

Teaching Tolerance

In these 3-5 lessons, students address important topics that aim to build empathy and create active citizens. These lessons educate the whole child and build 21st Century Skills, like communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. (Sample Lesson: My Multicultural Self)

Digital Citizenship & Literacy

Digital Citizenship and Literacy

Common Sense Media

These digital citizenship lessons provide resources to assist in preparing students with critical 21st century skills, including media balance, online privacy, digital footprint, online communication, cyberbullying, digital drama, and media literacy. (Sample Lesson: Digital Media & Your Brain)

Be Internet Awesome with Google

Be Internet Awesome is a multifaceted program that includes a fun and free web-based game called Interland and an educational curriculum to teach kids how to be safe and responsible explorers of the online world. (View Course)

Social Media

Students will learn skills necessary to evaluate their behavior on social media and interrogate the platforms they interact with.  Lessons focus on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and other platforms popular in today’s digital world. (Sample Lesson: Snapchat)

College & Career Readiness

College Exploration

In these lessons, students use VR to explore what options exist for after high school and how these options overlap with their skills and interests to answer the question “How can I be prepared for life after school?” (Sample Lesson: Exploring Campus – Liberal Arts vs. Research)

VR College Tours

Inspire students to find their best fit by visiting renowned universities in the US and around the world. Students explore each campus in virtual reality and research further about how each university can fit their needs. (Sample Lesson – University of Oxford)

Career Exploration

In these lessons, students use VR to explore career fields and how these fields overlap with their skills and interests to answer the question “How can I be prepared for life after school?” (Sample Lesson – Exploring Careers in Trade)

VR Career Tours

This VR Career Tours bundle provides students with an immersive and interactive look at a wide range of jobs within the Career Clusters framework. The lessons use virtual reality to guide student inquiry and integrate Social and Emotional Learning. (Sample Lesson – Farm Manager)

STEM Project-Based Learning

Defined Learning

To prepare students for the future, they need to be engaged with lessons that are relevant, encourage critical thinking and collaboration, and provide an authentic assessment of their understanding. (See Research & White Papers)

Science

BBC Worldwide

BBC Worldwide – In these lessons, students will be challenged to think critically about real world issues using video from BBC Worldwide. Students explore, comprehend, and research lessons that explore a grab-bag of scientific, environmental, and historical topics. (Sample Lessons for Young Emperor Penguins: Mini Lesson, Comprehension Check, Research Skill Builder 

Social Studies

iCivics

iCivics, founded by former Supreme Court Justice Sadra Day O’Conner, is the largest provider of civics curriculum in the nation.  What’s more, iCivics classrooms are representative of the current political, geographical and socio-economic diversity of America at-large: conservative to liberal; rural to urban; low to high-income communities.  (Sample lesson – Anatomy of the Constitution)

US Geography

Students use VR technology to explore what makes each US state and territory unique. They investigate their defining characteristics, including: its geography, history, landmarks, industry, and culture. (Sample Lesson: Getting to Know Hawaii)

World Cultures and Geography

Students deepen their learning through exploration of the world. This course includes virtual fields to each of the seven continents, various countries, and multiple historic landmarks. Students can explore the world from the comfort of your home! (Sample Lesson: Exploring Brazil)

Current Events

Students complete weekly ELA lessons that develop their literacy and critical thinking skills.  Assigned each week by your teacher, these lessons are designed to empower the Kindest Generation to engage with and discuss what’s happening in the world around them. (Sample Lesson: 2019-2020 Coronavirus Outbreak)

World Languages

Spanish 2

Breaking the Barrier

Founded in 1997 by educators, Breaking the Barrier is a global leader in digital language learning. Breaking the Barrier provides students with a rock-solid understanding of language fundamentals as well as cultural insights from around the world. (Sample Lesson – The Preterite Tense)

Computer Science

Code.org

Computer Science Discoveries: Computer Science Discoveries is an introductory course that empowers students to engage with computer science as a medium for creativity, communication, problem solving, and fun  (View Course)

Life Skills

Evaluating Media

Students will learn skills necessary to evaluate information online and interrogate the platforms they get information from. The curriculum comes with assessments to measure growth and a PBL activity for students to creatively apply what they have learned. (Sample Lesson – Sourcing Your Information)

Learning Strategies

In these lessons, students gather learning strategies, improving their study skills, organization strategies, and more to answer the question “How can I become a life-long learner?” (Sample Lesson: Mnemonics)